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Friday Feature: Potential Specialty Crop – Florida Tea Production

By Doug Mayo 

Researchers at the University of Florida’s Horticulture Department have been evaluating the possibility of tea production in Florida.  This week’s featured video was published by UF/IFAS to share the highlights of the trails that have been conducted south of Gainesville, at the Plant Research and Education Center.  As popular as specialty teas have become in the US, there may be potential for this alternative crop in the region. Tea is in the same plant family as camellias, so there is hope that suitable lines can be found for further testing.  At this point, scientists are simply trying to identify cultivars that are adapted to this climate, but have also begun working on possible production practices.

Source : ufl.edu

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Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies